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The Conversation Africa has interviewed Evan Easton-Calabria (RSC Early Career Fellow) about Rwanda’s refugee operations and the challenges host countries face.

Rwanda currently hosts about 150,000 refugees, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (75,000) and Burundi (69,000). As Evan states, “The responsibility of assisting refugees in Rwanda is coordinated between the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Rwanda’s Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management”, with UNHCR generally deferring to the government.

The interview details some of the challenges faced by host countries such as Rwanda, and what could be done to better support refugees.

“Ultimately,” Evan says, “supporting refugees better in the region means granting rights – like the right to work and freedom of movement – and enabling access to these rights. Refugees in Rwanda have many of the same rights as those in Uganda yet face more challenges and discrimination in accessing them.”

Read the full interview

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